Tribal Health Holds Suicide Awareness Activities
September was National Suicide Awareness Month. In observance of this, the Fort Peck Tribal Health Department sponsored the Healthy Mind & Emotions - A Social Emotional Event held from Sept. 10-14 on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana. The five-day event featured four keynote speakers, Darnell Jackson, Elwoods Pipestem-Ott, Joshua Stewart and Dr. Joseph P. Gone.
Activities kicked off with an evening event, Drills & Skills at the Thundering Buffalo Wellness Center in Poplar. Parents and grandparents helped youth with how to hold the basketball and free throws. Grandmas were snapping two from the top of the key. Myltin Big Horn, former director of Community Wellness for the Health Promotion Disease Prevention program, shared the reason for holding this type of event.
“We wanted to have a place outside of school where the youth can use their hands and minds. They need to know it’s OK to have feelings and express them in a safe place where they can have fun.” Big Horn also said, “I’m thankful that Elwood and Darnell are here. They both have a mental health background. Social and emotional mental health should become a pillar in the community. Youth need to know it’s OK to have feelings and express them in a safe place where they can also have fun.”
Guest motivational speakers Jackson and Pipestem-Ott worked with the participants on dribbling down the court, weaving across the court, passing the ball to teammates, and free throws. The youth were organized into teams of five and practiced using the whole court while dribbling using cones as turning points. The youth practiced for about two hours before the event ended.
Jackson is currently an assistant coach for the San Diego Clippers G League. Previously he played college basketball for the University of Kansas including the 2008 national championship team. During that same year, Jackson was drafted by the Miami Heat, then traded to the Cavaliers where he remained until 2010 and was signed by various teams through 2020 including the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers.
Pipestone-Ott is a member of the Otoe-Missouri Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma. He is currently the director of Organizational Development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Previously, he served as an assistant basketball coach for Haskell University from 2004 through 2008. He holds a bachelor’s degree in American Indian/Native American studies.
The first day of the event opened with a song from the Poplar School drum group followed by the chairman of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, Justin Gray Hawk Sr. who sang the opening prayer and gave a welcoming address. Donovan “Beefy” Archambault performed as the master of ceremonies and introduced Jackson to the attendees. Jackson talked about his trauma and shared personal stories about the tragedies in his life. A defining moment in his talk was when he said, “No one asked me if I was OK.” He has written a book about his experiences, Behind the Smile, now available on Apple Books. Jackson took questions from the audience and the participants were engaged in conversation with him through lunchtime.
The afternoon speaker was Elwood Pipestem-Ott. The group rearranged the area into a large circle where people could speak face-to-face with each other. He talked about his experiences growing up in Oklahoma where he spent a lot of time with his grandparents. Generosity of time and spirit was exemplified by the volunteer work of his Dad and Granddad. He also connected with the group when he talked about the trauma of suicide within his life. The group had a lot of questions and engaged in conversations with him about their own experiences with suicide. The day ended with dinner and the Beefy Comedy Show.
The Day 2 morning guest speaker of the Social Emotional Event was Dr. Joseph Gone. Dr. Gone is the faculty director of the Harvard University Native American Program and an international expert in the psychology and mental health of American Indians and other Indigenous Groups. In 2023, Gone received the Gold Medal Award for impact in psychology from the American Psychological Foundation. He is an enrolled member of the Aaniiih-Gros Ventre Tribal Nation (Fort Belknap Reservation) in Montana. His presentation was a technical seminar about suicide interventions and discussed what can work in Indian Country. The participants engaged in a robust post presentation question and answer session.
Gone was able to visit oneon- one during lunch and talked about his background. His career began when he took philosophy classes at West Point Academy. In these classes he enjoyed being able to ask philosophical questions and “brain questions.” He served in the U.S. Army during peacetime and eventually left for academia after finding his purpose, “I wanted to figure out how to make psychology relevant for my community, for Indian people.” After eight years of study to obtain his Ph.D. and years of university research and asking how to make psychology relevant, Gone determined that “Modern counseling is not the right fit for tribal communities. We need to think outside the box to make innovations. Counseling and psychology are secular matters whereas traditional healing practices are a spiritual matter. During a counseling session the client talks to the therapist. In a traditional healing setting the participant talks to the Creator. Traditional practices and rationales can be brought into counseling and therapy. Mental Health help for Native Communities requires ceremony. A first step in this effort is to recognize the authority of traditional doctors.
The last speaker of the morning was Jackie Gittins, director of 988 Voices of Hope, based in Great Falls. The Fort Peck Tribal Health Department’s Crisis Call Center based in Wolf Point has formed a partnership with 988 Voices of Hope through funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This partnership is the first of its kind in the US. 988 Voices of Hope is mentoring the Crisis Center to become a certified 988 number. When someone from Fort Peck Reservation area calls 988 the call will be routed directly to the Crisis Center in the near future. Jackie connected with the audience and answered several questions. Her message to the participants was “Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call 988.” She also let the audience know that thinking about suicide is not against the law and that “we will listen to you.”
The afternoon session had presentations by Myltin Bighorn from the Fort Peck Tribal Health Promotion Disease Prevention program, then a discussion on Nakoda healing with Roger Dale White and a discussion about Dakota healing with Dylan Youpee. The last presentation of the day was about the Crisis Call Center in Wolf Point by Phoebe Blount, Director of Services for the Fort Peck Tribes Crisis Call Center. Phoebe introduced the Crisis Call Center staff and explained their functions and urged audience members to share the 653-2000 number for the Crisis Center and to call if anyone has crisis issues.
During Day 2, Jackson and Pipestem-Ott were the guest speakers at a Poplar School assembly where 206 Poplar High School students heard about their experiences with suicide in their families and the after effects of mourning. Before he left for his flight home, Jackson said that he would like to return to the reservation. He said, “it’s beautiful to see the community coming together to help each other.” Pipestem-Ott remarked on all of the gifts mother nature had to offer here, especially the sky. He was grateful for the amount of people who were at the events. He is finalizing his non-profit to focus on community engagement, suicide prevention and mental health. He is looking forward to having his own basketball sports clinic and annual camp for youth.
On Day 3, Jackson and Pipestem-Ott met with 103 Brockton High School students in Brockton. The Crisis Management Team hosted a Suicide Awareness Walk for the Poplar High School students as 180 students and 44 adults assembled at the Fort Peck Tribal Headquarters and listened to guest speaker Josh Stewart from the Crow Nation. Stewart was the coach for the Lodge Grass boys basketball team from 2019 to 2024. The success of the team and his coaching style are demonstrated through two state boys’ B basketball championships (2020 and 2021). Before the walk, Stewart addressed the youth and talked about sports as a way to achieve success both in school and after high school. “You can’t be a champion alone. You can’t be a champion in the gym or field if you aren’t in the classroom and you can’t be a champion in the classroom if you aren’t a champion at home. It starts at home,” said Stewart. He also stressed to the students to never be ashamed of being Indian or where they come from. The students responded with cheers.
The last activity of the event, Speak Hope to Ourselves, was held at the Thundering Buffalo Wellness Center where 17 youth and adults participated in Mind Field Activities, learned about the Hope Factor, and Drills & Skills. The sessions were conducted by former coaches Stewart and Pipestem-Ott.
On Saturday, Sept. 14, the Crisis Call Center provided the motivational speaker for the Spotted Bull Recovery Resource Center’s Safe Place Suicide Awareness Motorcycle Ride. The ride started at the Spotted Bull main offices in Poplar where several riders showed up for the event. Before taking to the road, the riders heard Stewart share stories from his life and expressed the importance of “not giving in to anger.” This ride is the third annual ride sponsored by the Spotted Bull Resource Recovery Center’s Safe Place, located in Wolf Point. This year, participants rode in honor of those who are survived by friends and relatives affected by suicide. In memory of those who are gone, names were written on purple and teal ribbons attached to the motor bikes.
In total the events drew in 731 adults and students over the four days of events. The Fort Peck Tribes Crisis Call Center is planning a second event to be held in Frazer during 2025. For more information about this event, contact Phoebe Blount at 406-650-1946 or by e-mail at phoebe.blount@fortpecktribes. net.
